Cary Grant and Irene Dunne in the screwball hit of 1937!

Bewildered by what Julia Roberts and George Clooney were trying to achieve in that middling remarriage comedy throwback Ticket to Paradise? See The Awful Truth and all will be revealed: it's the subgenre’s finest. This irresistible romance begins with a divorce. After they suspect the other’s infidelity, Lucy and Jerry Warriner (Dunne and Grant) file an amicable suit to split, but while battling for custody of their dog the divorcing couple keep getting mixed up in each other’s lives. Leo McCarey won the Best Director Oscar for this laugh-out-loud screwball treasure (also nominated for best picture, acting and screenplay laurels), the first to pair comedic geniuses Grant and Dunne. Our personal favourite screwball heroine delivers a luminous and especially hilarious performance playing not only off Grant but Ralph Bellamy and Cecil Cunningham in sublime supporting roles. The whole thing crackles with the off-kilter energy of McCarey’s directorial style, with much of the blocking, dialogue and comic bits improvised with the cast.

Not only is it one of the greatest romantic comedies of all time, The Awful Truth is among the most fashionable of classic Hollywood, juxtaposing inspired slapstick with sophisticated sparkling gowns (by Kalloch).

Presented with an introduction by series host Nathalie Atkinson. $17/$14